Vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

ABSTRACT

A vehicle control system includes: an automated driving controller that automatically controls at least one out of acceleration/deceleration or steering of a vehicle, and that performs automated driving control in one of a plurality of modes having different levels of automated driving; and a informing section that, in cases in which the automated driving mode transitions to one of the plurality of modes in accordance with a travel environment of the vehicle, predicts a timing at which the mode will transition, and informs the predicted timing.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to JapanesePatent Application No. 2016-052980, filed Mar. 16, 2016, entitled“Vehicle Control System, Vehicle Control Method, and Vehicle ControlProgram.” The contents of this application are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control system, a vehiclecontrol method, and a vehicle control program.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, research is progressing into technology for automaticallycontrolling at least one out of acceleration/deceleration or steering ofa vehicle such that the vehicle travels along a route to a destination(referred to as “automated driving” hereafter). In relation thereto, aninformation display device is known that determines an automated drivinglevel based on a system state of an autonomously driven vehicle, andthat is provided with a display control unit that simultaneouslydisplays on a display unit an image of an operation section of thevehicle and an image of a portion of the operation section to beoperated by a person, in accordance with the automated driving level(for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2015-182624).

However, in the related technology, switching to each driving mode inautomated driving has been performed automatically at timingsestablished by preset switching conditions, such that it was possiblefor conditions to arise such as conditions in which preparations havenot been made at the vehicle occupant side.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes a vehicle control system, a vehiclecontrol method, and a vehicle control program capable of causing avehicle occupant to make efficient use of time by causing the vehicleoccupant to recognize a timing of a switch in automated driving.

A first aspect of the present disclosure describes a vehicle controlsystem including: an automated driving controller that automaticallycontrols at least one out of acceleration/deceleration or steering of avehicle, and that performs automated driving control in one of pluralmodes having different levels of automated driving; and a informingsection that, in cases in which the automated driving mode transitionsto one of the plural modes in accordance with a travel environment ofthe vehicle, predicts a timing at which the mode will transition, andinforms a driver of the predicted timing to alert the driver to thattiming.

A second aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that the informing section predicts a continuation time until thelevel of the automated driving transitions from a high state to a lowstate.

A third aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that the informing section informs a predicted continuation timeuntil a timing at which a change will be made from the current automateddriving mode of the vehicle to an automated driving mode with a highlevel of automated driving.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that the informing section starts informing the timing at which themode will transition at a start timing of a mode preceding change to anautomated driving mode with a high level of automated driving.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that the informing section starts informing the timing at which themode will transition at a timing at which change was made from anautomated driving mode with a high level of automated driving to anautomated driving mode with a low level of automated driving.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that the informing section informs a predicted continuation time ofa congestion following travel mode for automated driving to follow avehicle in front at a specific speed or below.

A seventh aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the third aspect, wherein configuration may be madesuch that: the informing section includes a predicted continuation timecomputation section that computes the predicted continuation time basedon the current position of the vehicle and traffic information relatedto a route to a destination the vehicle is travelling to; and theinforming section informs the predicted continuation time computed bythe predicted continuation time computation section.

An eighth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the seventh aspect, wherein configuration may bemade such that the predicted continuation time computation sectioncomputes the predicted continuation time at specific time intervals.

A ninth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the seventh aspect, wherein configuration may bemade such that the predicted continuation time computation sectioncomputes a distance on a route of travel by the vehicle based on thecurrent position of the vehicle and a position at which the congestionis predicted to clear obtained from the traffic information, andcomputes a first time based on the computed distance and the vehiclespeed of the vehicle; computes a second time until a specific speed isreached by acceleration of the vehicle at a specific acceleration fromthe position at which the congestion is predicted to clear obtained fromthe traffic information; and computes the predicted continuation timebased on the computed first and second times.

A tenth aspect of the present disclosure describes the vehicle controlsystem according to the first aspect, wherein the vehicle control systemmay further include: a line of sight detector that detects a line ofsight direction of an occupant inside the vehicle; and wherein theinforming section informs the timing at which the mode will transitionto an interface device present in the line of sight direction of theoccupant of the vehicle detected by the line of sight detection section.

An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure describes a vehicle controlmethod performed by an onboard computer, the vehicle control methodincluding: automatically controlling at least one out ofacceleration/deceleration or steering of a vehicle, performing automateddriving control in one of plural modes having different levels ofautomated driving; and in cases in which the automated driving modetransitions to one of the plural modes in accordance with a travelenvironment of the vehicle, predicting a timing at which the mode willtransition, and causing a informing section to inform the predictedtiming.

A twelfth of the present disclosure describes a vehicle control programthat causes an onboard computer to execute processing, the processingincluding: automatically controlling at least one out ofacceleration/deceleration or steering of a vehicle, performing automateddriving control in one of plural modes having different levels ofautomated driving; and in cases in which the automated driving modetransitions to one of the plural modes in accordance with a travelenvironment of the vehicle, predicting a timing at which the mode willtransition, and causing a informing section to inform the predictedtiming.

According to the present disclosure described by the first aspect, thesecond aspect, the sixth aspect, the eleventh aspect, and the twelfthaspect, the occupant of the vehicle can make more efficient use of theirtime due to informing the timing at which the automated driving modewill transition to one of the plural modes is made in accordance withthe travel environment of the vehicle.

According to the present disclosure described by the third aspect, theoccupant of the vehicle can be caused to recognize the switch timing ofautomated driving due to informing the information indicating thepredicted continuation time until the timing at which a change will bemade to an automated driving mode with a high level of automateddriving. This enables the occupant to use their time more efficiently.

According to the present disclosure described by the fourth aspect andthe fifth aspect, the occupant can more reliably ascertain for how longa state with a low level of automated driving will continue.

According to the present disclosure described by the seventh aspect, thepredicted continuation time can be output with higher precision based onthe traffic information related to the route that the vehicle is totravel until the destination.

According to the present disclosure described by the eighth aspect, anup-to-date predicted continuation time of the mode can be output inaccordance with changes to the traffic conditions and the like.

According to the present disclosure described by the ninth aspect, amore accurate predicted continuation time can be computed by taking thefirst time and the second time into consideration.

According to the present disclosure described by the tenth aspect, theoccupant can be more reliably caused to recognize output information.The word “section” used in this application may mean a physical part orcomponent of computer hardware or any device including a controller, aprocessor, a memory, etc., which is particularly configured to performfunctions and steps disclosed in the application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating configuration elements of a vehicleinstalled with a vehicle control system of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram centered on a vehiclecontrol system.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an HMI.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the position of avehicle M relative to a travel lane is recognized by the vehicleposition recognition section.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an action plan generatedfor a given section.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of acourse generation section.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of candidates for a coursethat are generated by a course candidate generation section.

FIG. 8 is a diagram representing candidates for a course that aregenerated by a course candidate generation section as course points.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a lane change target position.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a speed generation model in a case inwhich it is assumed that the speeds of three surrounding vehicles arefixed.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of anHMI controller.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of computing a predictedcontinuation time of a mode.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information output froman interface device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of per-mode operationpermission information.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining content of vehicle occupant line ofsight detection by a vehicle.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of HMI controlprocessing.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of computation processingfor a predicted continuation time of a mode.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of HMI controlprocessing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Explanation follows regarding embodiments of a vehicle control system, avehicle control method, and a vehicle control program of the presentdisclosure, with reference to the drawings.

Common Configuration

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating configuration elements of a vehicle(referred to as the vehicle M hereafter) installed with a vehiclecontrol system 100 of the present embodiment. The vehicle installed withthe vehicle control system 100 is, for example, a two-wheeled,three-wheeled, or four-wheeled automobile, and this includes automobilesthat use an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or agasoline engine as a power source, electric automobiles that have anelectrical motor as a power source, hybrid automobiles that have both aninternal combustion engine and an electrical motor, and the like. Theelectric automobile is, for example, driven using electric powerdischarged from a battery such as a secondary battery, a hydrogen fuelcell, a metal fuel cell, or an alcohol fuel cell.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, sensors such as finders 20-1 to 20-7, radars30-1 to 30-6, and a camera (imaging section) 940, a navigation device(display section) 50, and the vehicle control system 100 are installedto the vehicle M.

The finders 20-1 to 20-7, for example, measure light scatter fromemitted light, and are LIDARs (light detection and ranging, or laserimaging detection and ranging) that measure a distance to a target. Forexample, the finder 20-1 is attached to a front grill or the like, andthe finder 20-2 and the finder 20-3 are attached to a vehicle body sideface, a door mirror, a front headlamp interior, a side lamp vicinity, orthe like. The finder 20-4 is attached to a trunk lid or the like, thefinder 20-5 and the finder 20-6 are attached to a vehicle body sideface, a tail light interior, or the like. The finders 20-1 to 20-6described above have detection regions of, for example, approximately150° relative to a horizontal direction. The finder 20-7 is attached toa roof or the like. The finder 20-7 has a detection region of, forexample, 360° relative to the horizontal direction.

The radar 30-1 and the radar 30-4 are, for example, long-rangemillimeter wave radars having a wider detection region in the depthdirection than the other radars. The radars 30-2, 30-3, 30-5, 30-6 areintermediate-range millimeter wave radars having a narrower detectionregion in the depth direction than the radars 30-1 and 30-4.

Hereafter, the finders 20-1 to 20-7 are simply referred as “finders 20”in cases in which no particular distinction is made, and the radars 30-1to 30-6 are simply referred to as “radars 30” in cases in which noparticular distinction is made. The radars 30, for example, detectobjects using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) method.

The camera 40 is, for example, a digital camera that employs a solidstate imaging element such as a charge coupled device (CCD) orcomplementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 40 isattached to a front windshield upper portion, a back face of a rear-viewmirror, or the like. The camera 40, for example, periodically andrepeatedly images ahead of the vehicle M. The camera 40 may be a stereocamera that includes plural cameras.

Note that the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example;a portion of the configuration may be omitted, and other configurationmay be further added.

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram centered on the vehiclecontrol system 100. Detection devices DD that include the finders 20,the radars 30, the camera 40, and the like, the navigation device 50, acommunication device 55, a vehicle sensor 60, a human machine interface(HMI) 70, the vehicle control system 100, a travel drive output device200, a steering device 210, and a brake device 220 are installed in thevehicle M. These devices and apparatuses are connected to one another bya multi-communication line such as a controller area network (CAN)communication line, or by a wireless communication network, a serialcommunication line, or the like. Note that the vehicle control system inthe scope of the claims may encompass configuration (such as thedetection devices DD and the HMI 70) other than that of the vehiclecontrol system 100, and does not merely represent “the vehicle controlsystem 100”.

The navigation device 50 includes a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) receiver, map information (a navigation map), a touch paneldisplay device that functions as a user interface, a speaker, amicrophone, and the like. The navigation device 50 infers the positionof the vehicle M using the GNSS receiver and derives a route from thatposition to a destination designated by the user. The route derived bythe navigation device 50 is provided to a target lane determinationsection 110 of the vehicle control system 100. The position of thevehicle M may be inferred or complemented by an inertial navigationsystem (INS) employing output from the vehicle sensor 60. When thevehicle control system 100 is executing a manual driving mode, thenavigation device 50 provides guidance along a route to the destinationusing audio and a navigation display. Note that configuration forinferring the position of the vehicle M may be provided independentlyfrom the navigation device 50. Moreover, the navigation device 50 may,for example, be implemented by functionality of a terminal device suchas a smartphone or a tablet terminal possessed by the user. In suchcases, information is exchanged between the terminal device and thevehicle control system 100 using wireless or wired communication.

The communication device 55, for example, performs wirelesscommunication using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth(registered trademark), dedicated short range communication) DSRC, orthe like. The communication device 55 can, for example, acquire trafficinformation (such as congestion information), weather information, andthe like from an external device connected by wireless communication.

The vehicle sensor 60 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects thevehicle speed (travel speed), an acceleration sensor that detectsacceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular speed of rotationabout a vertical axis, a heading sensor that detects the heading of thevehicle M, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the HMI 70. The HMI 70 is providedwith, for example, driving operation system configuration, andnon-driving operation system configuration. There is no clear boundarybetween the two, and driving operation system configuration may providenon-driving operation system functionality (and vise-versa). The drivingoperation system is an example of an operation reception section thatreceives operations by a vehicle occupant (the occupant) of the vehicleM. Moreover, the non-driving operation system includes an interfacedevice.

As configuration of the driving operation system, the HMI 70 includes,for example, an accelerator pedal 71, an accelerator opening sensor 72and an accelerator pedal reaction force output device 73, a brake pedal74 and a brake press-amount sensor (or a master pressure sensor or thelike) 75, a shift lever 76 and a shift position sensor 77, a steeringwheel 78, a steering angle sensor 79 and a steering torque sensor 80,and other driving operation devices 81.

The accelerator pedal 71 is an operation element for receivingacceleration instructions (or deceleration instructions whenreverse-operated) from the vehicle occupant. The accelerator openingsensor 72 detects a press-amount of the accelerator pedal 71, andoutputs an accelerator opening signal indicating the press-amount to thevehicle control system 100. Note that output may be made directly to thetravel drive output device 200, the steering device 210, or the brakedevice 220 instead of outputting to the vehicle control system 100.Similar applies for other configuration of the driving operation systemexplained below. The accelerator pedal reaction force output device 73,for example, outputs force (an operation reaction force) to theaccelerator pedal 71 against the operation direction, according toinstructions from the vehicle control system 100.

The brake pedal 74 is an operation element for receiving decelerationinstructions from the vehicle occupant. The brake press-amount sensor 75detects the amount of pressing (or the force pressing) on the brakepedal 74 and outputs a brake signal indicating the detection result tothe vehicle control system 100.

The shift lever 76 is an operation element for receiving shift levelchange instructions from the vehicle occupant. The shift position sensor77 detects the shift level instruction by the vehicle occupant andoutputs a shift position signal indicating the detection result to thevehicle control system 100.

The steering wheel 78 is an operation element for receiving turninginstructions from the vehicle occupant. The steering angle sensor 79detects the operation angle of the steering wheel 78 and outputs asteering angle signal indicating the detection result to the vehiclecontrol system 100. The steering torque sensor 80 detects the torqueplaced on the steering wheel 78 and outputs a steering torque signalindicating the detection result to the vehicle control system 100. Notethat control related to the steering wheel 78 may, for example, beoutput of an operation reaction force to the steering wheel 78 by torqueoutput on the steering shaft by a reaction force motor or the like.

The other driving operation devices 81 are, for example, a joystick, abutton, a dial switch, a graphic user interface (GUI) switch, and thelike. The other driving operation devices 81 receive accelerationinstructions, deceleration instructions, turning instructions, and thelike, and output the instructions to the vehicle control system 100.

As configuration of the non-driving operation system, the HMI 70includes, for example, a display device (display section) 82, a speaker83, a touch-operated detection device 84 and a content playback device85, various operation switches 86, a seat 88 and a seat driving device89, window glass 90 and a window driving device 91, and an in-cabincamera (imaging section) 95.

The display device 82 is, for example, respective sections of aninstrument panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organicelectro luminescence (EL) display device attached to, for example,freely selected locations facing the passenger seat and rear seat.Moreover, the display device 82 may be a head-up display (HUD) thatprojects an image onto the front windshield or another window. Thespeaker 83 outputs audio. In cases in which the display device 82 is atouch panel, the touch-operated detection device 84 detects contactpositions (touched positions) on the display screen of the displaydevice 82 and outputs the contact positions to the vehicle controlsystem 100. Note that in cases in which the display device 82 is not atouch panel, the touch-operated detection device 84 may be omitted.

The content playback device 85 includes, for example, a digitalversatile disc (DVD) playback device, a compact disc (CD) playbackdevice, a television receiver, various guidance image generationdevices, and the like. Some or all of the display device 82, the speaker83, the touch-operated detection device 84, and the content playbackdevice 85 may be configuration shared with the navigation device 50. Thedisplay device 82, the speaker 83, the content playback device 85, andthe navigation device 50 described above are each an example of aninterface device, but there no limitations to these devices.

The various operation switches 86 are disposed at freely selected placesinside the vehicle cabin. The various operation switches 86 include anautomated driving switching switch 87 for instructing automated drivingto start (or to start in the future) or stop. The automated drivingswitching switch 87 may be a graphical user interface (GUI) switch, or amechanical switch. Moreover, the various operation switches 86 mayinclude a switch for driving the seat driving device 89 or windowdriving device 91.

The seat 88 is a seat in which the vehicle occupant sits. The seatdriving device 89 freely drives the reclining angle, front-reardirection position, yaw angle, and the like of the seat 88. The windowglass 90 is, for example, provided to each door. The window drivingdevice 91 drives opening and closing of the window glass 90.

The in-cabin camera 95 is a digital camera that employs a solid stateimaging element such as a CCD or CMOS. The in-cabin camera 95 isattached to a position from which at least the head (face included) ofthe vehicle occupant performing driving operation can be imagined, suchas the rearview mirror, steering wheel boss section, or instrumentpanel. The in-cabin camera 95, for example, images the vehicle occupantperiodically and repeatedly.

Prior to explaining the vehicle control system 100, explanation followsregarding the travel drive output device 200, the steering device 210,and the brake device 220.

The travel drive output device 200 outputs travelling drive force(torque) to drive wheels for causing the vehicle to travel. In cases inwhich the vehicle M is an automobile that has an internal combustionengine as the power source, the travel drive output device 200 includes,for example, an engine, a transmission, and an engine electronic controlunit (ECU) that controls the engine. In cases in which the vehicle M isan electric automobile that has an electrical motor as the power source,the travel drive output device 200 includes, for example, a travel motorand a motor ECU that controls the travel motor. In cases in which thevehicle M is a hybrid automobile, the travel drive output device 200includes, for example, an engine, a transmission, and an engine ECU, anda travel motor and travelling motor ECU. In cases in which the traveldrive output device 200 includes only an engine, the engine ECU adjuststhe engine throttle opening, the shift level, or the like, in accordancewith information input from a travelling controller 160, describedlater. In cases in which the travel drive output device 200 includesonly a travel motor, the motor ECU adjusts a duty ratio of a PWM signalapplied to the travel motor, in accordance with information input fromthe travelling controller 160. In cases in which the travel drive outputdevice 200 includes an engine and a travel motor, the engine ECU and themotor ECU cooperatively control travelling drive force, in accordancewith information input from the travelling controller 160.

The steering device 210 includes, for example, a steering ECU and anelectric motor. The electric motor, for example, exerts force on a rackand pinion mechanism to change the orientation of the steering wheel.The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance withinformation input from the vehicle control system 100, or inputinformation regarding the steering angle or steering torque, and changesthe orientation of the steering wheel.

The brake device 220 is, for example, an electric servo brake deviceincluding a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressureto the brake caliper, an electric motor that causes the cylinder togenerate hydraulic pressure, and a brake controller. The brakecontroller of the electric servo brake device controls an electric motorin accordance with information input from the travelling controller 160,such that braking torque is output to each wheel in accordance with thebraking operation. The electric servo brake device may include amechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated due to operationof the brake pedal to the cylinder via a master cylinder as backup. Notethat the brake device 220 is not limited to the electric servo brakedevice explained above, and may be an electrically controlled hydraulicbrake device. The electrically controlled hydraulic brake devicecontrols an actuator in accordance with information input from thetravelling controller 160, and transmits hydraulic pressure of a mastercylinder to the cylinder. The brake device 220 may also include aregenerative brake for the travel motor that can be included in thetravel drive output device 200.

Vehicle Control System

Explanation follows regarding the vehicle control system 100. Thevehicle control system 100 is, for example, implemented by one or moreprocessors, or by hardware having equivalent functionality. The vehiclecontrol system 100 may be configured by a combination of a processorsuch as a central processing unit (CPU), a storage device, and an ECU(electronic control unit) in which a communication interface isconnected by an internal bus, or an micro-processing unit (MPU) or thelike.

Returning to FIG. 2, the vehicle control system 100 includes, forexample, the target lane determination section 110, an automated drivingcontroller 120, the travelling controller 160, an HMI controller 170,and the storage section 180. The automated driving controller 120includes, for example, an automated driving mode controller 130, avehicle position recognition section 140, an environment recognitionsection 142, an action plan generation section 144, a course generationsection 146, and a switch controller 150. Some or all out of the targetlane determination section 110, the respective sections of the automateddriving controller 120, and the travelling controller 160 areimplemented by the processor executing a program (software). Moreover,of these, some or all may be implemented by hardware such as a largescale integration (LSI) or an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware.

The storage section 180 stores information such as high precision mapinformation 182, target lane information 184, action plan information186, and per-mode operation permission information 188. The storagesection 180 is implemented by read only memory (ROM), random accessmemory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, or the like. Theprogram executed by the processor may be pre-stored in the storagesection 180, or may be downloaded from an external device via an onboardinternet setup or the like. Moreover, the program may be installed inthe storage section 180 by loading a portable storage medium storing theprogram into a drive device, not illustrated in the drawings. Moreover,a computer (onboard computer) of the vehicle control system 100 may bedistributed across plural computer devices.

The target lane determination section 110 is, for example, implementedby an MPU. The target lane determination section 110 divides the routeprovided from the navigation device 50 into plural blocks (for example,divides the route every 100 m along the vehicle advance direction), andreferences the high precision map information 182 to determine thetarget lane for each block. The target lane determination section 110,for example, determines which lane number from the left to travel on. Incases in which a branch point, a merge point, or the like is present inthe route, the target lane determination section 110, for example,determines a target lane so as to enable the vehicle M to travel along asensible travel route for advancing beyond the branch. The target lanedetermined by the target lane determination section 110 is stored in thestorage section 180 as the target lane information 184.

The high precision map information 182 is map information with higherprecision than the navigation map of the navigation device 50. The highprecision map information 182 includes, for example, lane-centerinformation, lane-boundary information, or the like. Moreover, the highprecision map information 182 may include, for example, roadinformation, traffic restriction information, address information(address, zip code, or position information (longitude, latitude, etc.))facilities information, phone number information, and the like. The roadinformation includes information such as information indicating whetherthe type of road is an expressway, a toll road, a national highway, or aprefectural road, the number of lanes in the road, the width of eachlane, the gradient of the road, the position of the road (threedimensional coordinates including a longitude, a latitude, and analtitude), the curvature of the lanes, the position of lane merge andbranch points, and signage provided on the road. The traffic restrictioninformation includes information regarding lane closures due to roadwork, traffic accidents, congestion, and the like. The high precisionmap information 182 may acquire up-to-date information from an externaldevice or the like via the communication device 55 either periodicallyor irregularly, and may store this information in the storage section180.

The automated driving controller 120 automatically controls at least oneout of the acceleration/deceleration or the steering of the vehicle M,such that the vehicle M travels along the route to the destination.Moreover, the automated driving controller 120 performs automateddriving control in any of plural modes with different levels ofautomated driving. Note that the plural modes may, for example,correspond to plural modes that demand different degrees of surroundingsmonitoring by the occupant of the vehicle M, or may correspond to pluraldifferent modes of operation permission levels for the interface devicesof the HMI 70 that receive operations by the vehicle occupant andoutputs information.

The automated driving mode controller 130 determines the automateddriving mode to be implemented by the automated driving controller 120.The automated driving mode in the present embodiment includes thefollowing modes. Note that the following modes are merely examples andthe number of modes and content of the modes of the automated drivingmay be freely determined.

First Mode

The first mode is the mode in which the level of automated driving ishighest in comparison to the other modes. In cases in which the firstmode is being implemented, all vehicle controls, such as complex mergingcontrol, are performed automatically, such that the vehicle occupantdoes not need to monitor the surroundings or state of the vehicle M (thedegree of the responsibility to monitor the surroundings is reducedcompared to the other modes).

Here, a congestion following mode (low speed following mode) thatfollows the vehicle in front during congestion serves as an example ofthe first mode. In the first mode, for example, safe automated drivingcan be implemented by following the vehicle in front on a crowdedexpressway, like in Traffic Jam Pilot (TJP), and TJP mode can be endedwhen a position where the congestion is predicted to clear is reached.Moreover, although the first mode sometimes switches to another mode atthe timing when the TJP mode is ended, the first mode may switch aspecific time interval after the TJP has ended. Note that the first modeis a mode in which the operation permission level of each interfacedevice (non-driving operation system) of the HMI 70 is highest comparedto the other modes. The vehicle occupant can operate the interfacedevices permitted to be used in the first mode (such as the navigationdevice 50 and the display device 82), and, for example, can view variouscontents such as a DVD movie or a television program.

Second Mode

The second mode is a mode of the next highest level of automated drivingafter the first mode. Although in principle all vehicle control isperformed automatically in cases in which the second mode isimplemented, the driving operation of the vehicle M is entrusted to thevehicle occupant depending on the situation. The vehicle occupanttherefore needs to monitor the surroundings and state of the vehicle M(the degree of the driver's responsibility to monitor the surroundingsis increased compared with the first mode). Note that the second mode isa mode having a lower permission level for operating the variousinterface devices (non-driving operation system) of the HMI 70 than thefirst mode.

Third Mode

The third mode is a mode having the next highest level of automateddriving after the second mode. In cases in which the third mode isimplemented, the vehicle occupant needs to perform confirmationoperations on the HMI 70 depending on the situation. The third mode, forexample, notifies the timing for a lane change to the vehicle occupant,and automatically makes the lane change in cases in which the vehicleoccupant has performed an operation on the HMI 70 instructing a lanechange. The vehicle occupant therefore needs to monitor the surroundingsand state of the vehicle M (the degree of the driver's responsibility tomonitor the surroundings is increased compared with the second mode).Note that the third mode is a mode having a lower permission level foroperation of each of the interface devices (the non-driving operationsystem) of the HMI 70 than the second mode.

The automated driving mode controller 130 determines the automateddriving mode (driving mode) based on operation on the HMI 70 by thevehicle occupant, events determined by the action plan generationsection 144, travelling states determined by the course generationsection 146, and the like. Note that the driving modes may include amanual driving mode. The determined automated driving mode (modeinformation) is notified to the HMI controller 170. Moreover, a limitthat depends on the performance of the detection devices DD of thevehicle M or the like may be set on the automated driving mode. Forexample, configuration may be such that the first mode is notimplemented in cases in which the performance of the detection devicesDD is low.

Switching to the manual driving mode (override) by operating theconfiguration of the driving operation system in the HMI 70 is possiblefor all of the automated driving modes. Override starts, for example, incases in which operation on the driving operation system of the HMI 70by the vehicle occupant of the vehicle M continues for a specific timeinterval or more, in cases of a specific amount or greater of change inan operation (for example, the accelerator opening of the acceleratorpedal 71, the brake press-amount of the brake pedal 74, or the steeringangle of the steering wheel 78), or in cases in which a specific numberor greater of operations have been performed on the driving operationsystem.

The vehicle position recognition section 140 of the automated drivingcontroller 120 recognizes the lane in which the vehicle M is travelling(the travel lane) and the position of the vehicle M relative to thetravel lane, based on the high precision map information 182 stored inthe storage section 180, and the information input from the finders 20,the radar 30, the camera 40, the navigation device 50, or the vehiclesensor 60.

The vehicle position recognition section 140, for example, recognizesthe travel lane by comparing a road demarcation line pattern recognizedfrom the high precision map information 182 (for example, an array orsolid lines or dashed lines) against a road demarcation line pattern ofthe surroundings of the vehicle M recognized from the images imagedusing the camera 40. In the recognition, the position of the vehicle Macquired from the navigation device 50, or the processing result by theINS, may be taken into account.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the relative positionof the vehicle M with respect to a travel lane L1 is recognized by thevehicle position recognition section 140. The vehicle positionrecognition section 140 recognizes an offset OS between a referencepoint (for example, the center of mass) of the vehicle M and a travellane center CL, and recognizes an angle θ formed between the advancedirection of the vehicle M and a line aligned with the travel lanecenter CL as the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to thetravel lane L1. Note that, alternatively, the vehicle positionrecognition section 140 may recognize the position of the referencepoint of the vehicle M or the like with respect to either of the sideend portions of the lane L1 itself as the relative position of thevehicle M with respect to the travel lane. The relative position of thevehicle M recognized by the vehicle position recognition section 140 isprovided to the action plan generation section 144.

The environment recognition section 142 recognizes the position, speed,and acceleration states of surrounding vehicles based on the informationinput from the finders 20, the radars 30, the camera 40, and the like.Surrounding vehicles are, for example, vehicles that are travelling inthe surroundings of the vehicle M and that are travelling in the samedirection as the vehicle M. The positions of the surrounding vehiclesmay be presented as representative points such as centers of mass orcorners of other vehicles, or may be represented as regions representedby the wheels of the other vehicles. The “state” of a surroundingvehicle may include whether or not the surrounding vehicle isaccelerating or changing lanes (or whether or not the surroundingvehicle is attempting to change lanes), as ascertained based on theinformation of the various apparatuses described above. Moreover, theenvironment recognition section 142 may recognize the position of aguard rail, a utility pole, a parked vehicle, a pedestrian, and otherobjects, in addition to the surrounding vehicles.

The action plan generation section 144 sets a starting point ofautomated driving and/or a destination of automated driving. Thestarting point of automated driving may be the current position of thevehicle M, or may be a point set by operation to instruct automateddriving. The action plan generation section 144 generates an action planin the segments between the starting point and the destination ofautomated driving. Note that there is no limitation thereto, and theaction plan generation section 144 may generate an action plan forfreely selected segments.

The action plan is, for example, composed of plural events to besequentially executed. The events include, for example, a decelerationevent that decelerates the vehicle M, an acceleration event thataccelerates the vehicle M, a lane-keep event that causes the vehicle Mto travel without departing from the travel lane, a lane-change eventthat causes the travel lane to change, an overtake event that causes thevehicle M to overtake the vehicle in front, a branch event that causes alane change to the desired lane at a branch point or causes the vehicleM to travel so as not to depart from the current travel lane, a mergeevent that causes the vehicle M to accelerate or decelerate in a merginglane for merging with a main lane and changes the travel lane, and ahandover event that causes a transition from manual driving mode toautomated driving mode at a start point of automated driving or causes atransition from automated driving mode to manual driving mode at a pointwhere automated driving is expected to end. The action plan generationsection 144 sets a lane-change event, a branch event, or a merge eventat places where the target lane determined by the target lanedetermination section 110 switches. Information indicating the actionplan generated by the action plan generation section 144 is stored inthe storage section 180 as the action plan information 186.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the action plan generatedfor a given segment. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the action plangeneration section 144 generates the action plan needed for the vehicleM to travel on the target lane indicated by the target lane information184. Note that the action plan generation section 144 may dynamicallychange the action plan irrespective of the target lane information 184,in accordance with changes to the conditions of the vehicle M. Forexample, in cases in which the speed of a surrounding vehicle recognizedby the environment recognition section 142 during vehicle travel exceedsa threshold value, or the movement direction of a surrounding vehicletravelling in a lane adjacent to the vehicle-itself lane is toward thevehicle-itself lane direction, the action plan generation section 144changes the event set in the driving segment that the vehicle M wasexpected to travel. For example, in cases in which an event is set suchthat a lane-change event is to be executed after a lane-keep event, whenit has been determined by the recognition result of the environmentrecognition section 142 that a vehicle is advancing at a speed of thethreshold value or greater from the rear of the lane change target laneduring the lane-keep event, the action plan generation section 144 maychange the event following the lane-keep event from a lane-change eventto a deceleration event, a lane-keep event, or the like. As a result,the vehicle control system 100 can cause the vehicle M to autonomouslytravel safely even in cases in which a change occurs to the state of theenvironment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of thecourse generation section 146. The course generation section 146includes, for example, a travel condition determination section 146A, acourse candidate generation section 146B, and an evaluation/selectionsection 146C.

When implementing a lane-keep event, the travel condition determinationsection 146A, for example, determines a travel condition from out offixed speed travel, following-travel, low speed following-travel,deceleration travel, curved travel, obstacle avoidance travel, or thelike. For example, the travel condition determination section 146Adetermines that the travel condition is fixed speed travel when no othervehicles are present ahead of the vehicle M. The travel conditiondetermination section 146A determines that the travel condition isfollowing-travel in cases such as travel following a vehicle in front.The travel condition determination section 146A determines that thetravel condition is low speed following-travel in a congested situationor the like. The travel condition determination section 146A determinesthat the travel condition is deceleration travel in cases in whichdeceleration of the vehicle in front is recognized by the environmentrecognition section 142, and in cases in which an event for, forexample, stopping or parking is implemented. The travel conditiondetermination section 146A determines that the travel condition is curvetravel in cases in which the environment recognition section 142recognizes that the vehicle M is approaching a curve. The travelcondition determination section 146A determines that the travelcondition is obstacle avoidance travel in cases in which the environmentrecognition section 142 has recognized an obstacle in front of thevehicle M.

The course candidate generation section 146B generates candidates forthe course based on the travel condition determined by the travelcondition determination section 146A. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustratingan example of candidates for the course generated by the coursecandidate generation section 146B. FIG. 7 illustrates candidates for thegenerated course when the vehicle M changes lanes from a lane L1 to alane L2.

The course candidate generation section 146B, for example, determinescourses like that illustrated in FIG. 7 as a collection of a targetposition (course points K) at specific time intervals in the futurewhere the reference position (for example, the center of mass or rearwheel axle center) of the vehicle M is to arrive. FIG. 8 is a diagramillustrating candidates for the course generated by the course candidategeneration section 146B, represented by course points K. The wider theseparations between course points K, the faster the speed of the vehicleM, and the narrower the separations between course points K, the slowerthe speed of the vehicle M. Accordingly, the course candidate generationsection 146B gradually widens the separations between the course pointsK when acceleration is desired, and gradually narrows the separationsbetween the course points when deceleration is desired.

Thus, the course candidate generation section 146B needs to apply atarget speed to each course point K since the course points K include aspeed component. The target speed is determined in accordance with thetravel condition determined by the travel condition determinationsection 146A.

Here, explanation follows regarding a determination method for thetarget speed when lane changing (branches included) is performed. Thecourse candidate generation section 146B first sets a lane change targetposition (or a merge target position). The lane change target positionis set as a position relative to surrounding vehicles, and determines“which surrounding vehicles to change lanes between”. The coursecandidate generation section 146B observes three surrounding vehicles asreferences for the lane change target position, and determines a targetspeed when performing the lane change.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a lane change target position TA. Inthis figure, L1 represents the lane of the vehicle, and L2 represents anadjacent lane. Here, a vehicle in front mA is defined as a surroundingvehicle traveling directly in front of the vehicle M in the same lane asthe vehicle M, a forward reference vehicle mB is defined as asurrounding vehicle travelling directly in front of the lane changetarget position TA, and a rear reference vehicle mC is defined as asurrounding vehicle travelling directly behind the lane change targetposition TA. The vehicle M needs to accelerate or decelerate to move tobeside the lane change target position TA, but must avoid tailgating thevehicle in front mA at this time. The course candidate generationsection 146B therefore predicts the future state of the threesurrounding vehicles and determines a target speed that will notinterfere with any of the surrounding vehicles.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a speed generation model when thespeed of the three surrounding vehicles is assumed to be constant. Inthis figure, the straight lines extending from mA, mB, and mC eachrepresent a displacement in the direction of advance when thesurrounding vehicles are assumed to be travelling at respective fixedspeeds. At a point CP where the lane change finishes, the vehicle M mustbe between the forward reference vehicle mB and the rear referencevehicle mC, and up to that point must be behind the vehicle in front mA.Under such restrictions, the course candidate generation section 146Bderives plural time series patterns of target speeds up to when the lanechange finishes. Then, the time series patterns of target speeds isapplied to a model such as a spline curve to derive plural candidatesfor the course as illustrated in FIG. 7, described above. Note that themovement pattern of the three surrounding vehicles may be predictedunder the assumption of constant acceleration or constant jerk (surge),irrespective of the fixed speed as illustrated in FIG. 9.

The evaluation/selection section 146C, evaluates, for example, thecandidates for the course generated by the course candidate generationsection 146B from the two viewpoints of plan quality and safety, andselects a course to be output to the travelling controller 160. From theviewpoint of plan quality, courses are evaluated highly in cases inwhich, for example, an already generated plan (for example, an actionplan) is followed well and the total length of the course is short. Forexample, in cases in which a lane change in the rightward direction isdesired, courses that temporarily changes lanes in the leftwarddirection and then return have a low evaluation. From the viewpoint ofsafety, for example, at each course point, the further the distancebetween the vehicle M and objects (such as surrounding vehicles) and thesmaller the amount of change in acceleration/deceleration, steeringangle, or the like, the higher the evaluation.

The switch controller 150 switches between the automated driving modeand the manual driving mode based on the signal input from the automateddriving switching switch 87. Moreover, the switch controller 150switches from the automated driving mode to the manual driving modebased on operation instructing acceleration/deceleration or steering onconfiguration of the driving operation system of the HMI 70. Forexample, the switch controller 150 switches from the automated drivingmode to the manual driving mode (overrides) when a state in which theoperation amount indicated by the signal input from the configuration ofthe driving operation system of the HMI 70 exceeds a threshold value hascontinued for a reference time or longer. Note that after switching tothe manual driving mode due to override, the switch controller 150 mayreturn to the automated driving mode in cases in which operation on theconfiguration the driving operation system of the HMI 70 has not beendetected for a specific amount of time. For example, in cases in whichhandover control that transitions from the automated driving mode to themanual driving mode is to be performed at the point at which theautomated driving mode is expected to end, the switch controller 150outputs information expressing this to the HMI controller 170 in orderto notify handover request to the vehicle occupant in advance.

The travelling controller 160 controls the travel drive output device200, the steering device 210, and the brake device 220 such that thevehicle M passes through the course generated by the course generationsection 146 as prescribed by planned timings.

The HMI controller 170 controls the HMI 70 based on informationregarding the driving mode obtained from the automated drivingcontroller 120. Note that the HMI controller 170, and the display device82 and speaker 83 out of the HMI 70, are examples of a “informingsection”. In cases in which the automated driving mode of the vehicle Mtransitions to any of plural modes in accordance with the travellingenvironment of the vehicle M, the HMI controller 170 and the HMI 70predict the timing at which the mode will transition, and informs thepredicted timing using the display device 82, the speaker 83, and thelike. For example, the HMI controller 170 and the HMI 70 predict, forexample, the continuation time until transition is to be made from ahigh state of automated driving level to a low state of automateddriving level, but may also predict the continuation time untiltransition is to be made from a state with a low level of automateddriving to a state with a high level of automated driving.

For example, the HMI controller 170 controls whether or not the vehicleoccupant is permitted to operate the non-driving operation system of theHMI 70 and the interface devices such as the navigation device 50, basedon the driving mode. Moreover, in cases of changing to an automateddriving mode that demands a different degree of responsibility tomonitor the surroundings from the vehicle occupant, or in cases ofchanging to an automated driving mode having a different operationpermission level for the interface devices, the HMI controller 170outputs specific information to the interface devices.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of configuration of the HMIcontroller 170. The HMI controller 170 illustrated in FIG. 11 includes apredicted continuation time computation section 172, an interfacecontroller 174, and a line of sight detector 176.

In cases in which the automated driving mode of the vehicle Mtransitions to any of plural modes in accordance with the travellingenvironment of the vehicle M, the predicted continuation timecomputation section 172 predicts the timing at which the mode willtransition. More specifically, in cases in which mode informationacquired by the automated driving controller 120 is a driving modeneeding information output, the predicted continuation time computationsection 172 computes a time for which the current driving mode of thevehicle M is to continue (the predicted continuation time of the mode).Determination as to whether or not information output is needed is made,for example, in cases in which a change in the driving mode is made fromthe second mode to the first mode and the degree of responsibility tomonitor the surroundings has been lowered or the operation permissionlevel for the interface devices has been increased, and the like.However, there is no limitation thereto.

When the predicted continuation time of the mode is predicted, thepredicted continuation time computation section 172 acquires the vehiclespeed (travelling speed) of the vehicle M from the vehicle sensor 60,and requests acquisition of traffic information from an external device(for example, a management server such as a traffic management system)or the like via the communication device 55 and acquires the trafficinformation related to the route up to the destination that the vehicleM is travelling to. In such cases, the predicted continuation timecomputation section 172 may transmit, to an external device, positioninformation of the vehicle M inferred by the GNSS receiver or the likein the vehicle M described above, and may receive traffic informationregarding the surrounding region corresponding to the positioninformation.

Next, the predicted continuation time computation section 172 computesthe predicted continuation time for the mode based on the receivedtraffic information and the vehicle speed of the vehicle M. FIG. 12 is adiagram for explaining an example of computing the predictedcontinuation time of the mode. The predicted continuation timecomputation section 172, for example, computes the distance between thecurrent position of the vehicle M and the position where it is predictedthat congestion from the received traffic information will clear(congestion clearing prediction position) (a distance of 5 km in theexample of FIG. 12), and divides the computed distance by the currentvehicle speed of the vehicle M. The predicted continuation timecomputation section 172 thereby computes the time taken to move from thecurrent position of the vehicle M to the position where it is predictedthat the congestion will clear (the first time indicated in FIG. 12).

With reference to the congestion clearing prediction position, thepredicted continuation time computation section 172 computes a timeuntil the vehicle M accelerates from that position by a specificacceleration and reaches a specific speed for switching from the firstmode to the second mode (or for releasing the TJP mode) (the second timeindicated in FIG. 12). The second time is, for example, a time untilreaching a specific speed at which the second mode is switched to whenhaving accelerated by a specific acceleration from the congestionclearing prediction position, with reference to the current vehiclespeed of the vehicle M. The second time corresponds to the time at whichthe vehicle M transitions to the acceleration segment illustrated inFIG. 12. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the predicted continuationtime computation section 172 adds together the first time and the secondtime described above to compute the predicted continuation time of themode, and outputs the computed predicted continuation time to theinterface controller 174.

Note that the computation method for the predicted continuation is notlimited thereto, and, for example, the first time described above may becomputed as the predicted continuation time, or the predictedcontinuation time may be computed by adding an adjustment time to theresult of adding together the first time and the second time based onthe traffic condition. The predicted continuation time computationsection 172 computes the predicted continuation time of the driving modedescribed above at specific time intervals, and outputs the predictedcontinuation time of the mode obtained at the specific time intervals tothe interface controller 174. An up-to-date predicted continuation timeaccording with changes to the traffic conditions or the like may beoutput by predicting the predicted continuation time of the mode, atspecific time intervals.

The interface controller 174 receives operations by the vehicle occupantof the vehicle while restricting operations on the interface devices ofthe non-driving operation system of the HMI 70 that output information,in accordance with the automated driving mode to be implemented by theautomated driving controller 120. For example, the predictedcontinuation time of the mode predicted by the predicted continuationtime computation section 172 is output to each of the interface devicesinside the HMI 70. The interface controller 174, for example, outputs tothe interface devices information indicating the predicted continuationtime until the timing at which the automated driving mode changes to anautomated driving mode with a high degree of the responsibility tomonitor the surroundings of the vehicle M.

For example, the interface controller 174 may start outputtinginformation indicating the predicted continuation time to the interfacedevices at a start timing of the automated driving mode preceding achange to the automated driving mode with a high degree ofresponsibility to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle M. Theinterface controller 174 may start at a timing when a change has beenmade from an automated driving mode with a high degree of responsibilityto monitor the surroundings of the vehicle M to an automated drivingmode with a low degree of responsibility to monitor the surroundings ofthe vehicle.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of information output fromthe interface devices. In the example of FIG. 13, explanation is givenin which congestion following mode (TJP mode) is employed as the exampleof the first mode described above, and non-congestion following mode(TJP released mode) is employed as the example of the second modedescribed above.

In the example of FIG. 13, in cases in which the vehicle M is in anon-congestion following mode (the case of “(1) non-congestion followingmode” illustrated in FIG. 13), specific operations on the interfacedevices are restricted since responsibility to monitor the surroundingsis entrusted to the vehicle occupant of the vehicle M. Accordingly, asillustrated in FIG. 13, although a navigation screen 300 can bedisplayed, a screen 310 for displaying television programs is notdisplayed.

Here, in cases in which transition is made from a non-congestionfollowing mode to the congestion following mode (the case of “(2)congestion following mode” illustrated in FIG. 13) by automated drivingof the vehicle M as illustrated in FIG. 13, a navigation screen 320displays a screen for route guidance, but a message screen 322 statingthat congestion following mode is starting is also displayed in such acase.

In cases in which a shift is made from the navigation screen 320 to amenu screen 330, the vehicle occupant can be notified to arouse cautionor the like by displaying a message screen 332 such as “the operationrestrictions of congestion following mode can be released; please drivein accordance with the condition of the vehicle and traffic” and an OKbutton 334. Note that the content of the message is not limited thereto.The interface controller 174 releases the operation restriction uponreceiving that the OK button 334 was selected by the vehicle occupant,and can operate the navigation device 50 to transition to the DVD screenor the like.

Similarly, in cases in which a shift has been made from the navigationscreen 320 to a DVD screen 340 due to DVD operation, the vehicleoccupant can be notified to arouse caution or the like by displaying amessage screen 342 and an OK button 344 as described above. Theinterface controller 174 can release the operation restriction andoperate the navigation device 50 to transition to the DVD screen or thelike, by receiving the selection of the OK button 344 by the vehicleoccupant.

Here, the interface controller 174 displays a message 352 includinginformation indicating that the congestion following mode is ongoing(mode information) and information related to the predicted continuationtime of the current mode on a DVD movie display screen 350 that wastransitioned to. In the example of FIG. 13, in cases in which thepredicted continuation time of the mode is 23 minutes, information suchas “congestion following mode is ongoing; 23 minutes remaining untilthis mode ends” can be displayed superimposed on the DVD movie as themessage 352.

Note that since a portion of the DVD movie is sometimes hidden bysuperimposed display of the message 352, the interface controller 174may provide a different region that does not overlap with the displayregion of the DVD movie and may display in that region, or the message352 may be displayed semi-transparently. Moreover, the interfacecontroller 174 may dismiss the message after displaying the message 352for several seconds. Information regarding the predicted continuationtime included in the message 352 may be updated and displayed atspecific time intervals. This enables the vehicle occupant to have timeto prepare for a switch in automated driving and enables the vehicleoccupant to relax and watch a DVD movie until that time, since thevehicle occupant can ascertain the predicted time until the degree ofthe responsibility to monitor the surroundings will be increased due toa mode change.

In cases in which responsibility to monitor the surroundings has arisenin the vehicle due to a mode change from the congestion following mode(the case of “(3) non-congestion following mode” illustrated in FIG.13), the menu screen 330 shifts to a travel restriction screen 360 anddisplays a message 362 stating that travel restrictions are to beimposed. A message such as “congestion following mode will end; pleaseresume driving” as illustrated in FIG. 13 is an example of the message,and is displayed before the vehicle occupant is to drive the vehicle M(for example, at a timing at which preparation for handover isprompted). Similarly, when transitioning from the DVD movie displayscreen 350, a navigation screen 370 is displayed and a similar message372 is displayed at a specific timing in accordance with the state ofthe vehicle occupant. The messages 362 and 372 may be displayed for thespecific time interval alone, or may be displayed until the modeswitches. The contents of the messages are not limited to the examplesdescribed above. Each message illustrated in FIG. 13 may be displayed onscreen and also output as audio, or may be output as audio alone.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, a informing section that includes a portionof the HMI 70 and the HMI controller 170 informs the predictedcontinuation time of the congestion following travel mode that performsautomated driving to follow the vehicle in front at a specific speed orbelow. For example, the informing section can predict a timing at whichtransition will be made, from the congestion following travel mode thatperforms automated driving to follow the vehicle ahead at a specificspeed or below, to an ordinary travel mode that performs ordinaryautomated driving to follow a specific action plan, can compute thepredicted continuation time of the congestion following travel modebased on the result of the prediction, and can inform the computedpredicted continuation time. The informing section changes thepresence/absence or condition of output of specific information based onthe usage states of the interface devices. The vehicle occupant canthereby acquire appropriate information regarding switching of thedriving mode from the interface devices or the like. The vehicleoccupant is caused to recognize the switching timing of the automateddriving due to the interface devices outputting information as describedabove, enabling the vehicle occupant to make more efficient usage oftime.

The interface controller 174 also performs operation permission controlrelated to the HMI 70 or the navigation device 50 based on the modeinformation obtained from the automated driving controller 120. Forexample, in the case of the vehicle M being in the manual driving mode,the vehicle occupant operates the driving operation system (for example,the accelerator pedal 71, the brake pedal 74, the shift lever 76, thesteering wheel 78, and the like) of the HMI 70. In the case of thesecond mode, the third mode, or the like of the automated driving mode,a responsibility to monitor the surroundings arises for the vehicleoccupant in the vehicle M. In such cases, in order to prevent theattention of the vehicle occupant from being distracted by actions (suchas operations) other than driving (driver distractions), the interfacecontroller 174 controls such that operations on a portion or all of thenon-driving operation system of the HMI 70 are not received.

In cases in which the driving mode has transitioned from the second modeto the first mode of automated driving, the interface controller 174eases the driver distraction restrictions and performs control toreceive operations by the vehicle occupant on the non-driving operationsystem that had not been receiving operations. For example, theinterface controller 174 determines the permissions for operationsrelated to the HMI 70 or the navigation device 50 based on the modeinformation obtained from the automated driving controller 120 and theper-mode operation permission information 188 stored in the storagesection 180.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the per-mode operationpermission information 188. The per-mode operation permissioninformation 188 illustrated in FIG. 14 includes “manual driving mode”and “automated driving mode” as driving mode items. The per-modeoperation permission information 188 includes the “first mode”, the“second mode”, the “third mode”, and the like described above as the“automated driving mode”. The per-mode operation permission information188 also includes “navigation operation”, which is an operation on thenavigation device 50, “content playback operation”, which is anoperation on the content playback device 85, “instrument paneloperation”, which is an operation on the display device 82, and thelike, as items of the non-driving operation system. In the example ofthe per-mode operation permission information 188 illustrated in FIG.14, permissions are set for operations by the vehicle occupant on thenon-driving operation system for each of the driving modes describedabove; however, the target interface devices are not limited thereto.

The interface controller 174 determines the interface devices(respective operation systems) for which usage is permitted and theinterface devices for which usage is not permitted by referencing theper-mode operation permission information 188 based on the modeinformation (driving mode) acquired from the automated drivingcontroller 120. The interface controller 174 also controls permissionsfor receiving operations from the vehicle occupant on the interfacedevices of the non-driving operation system based on the determinationresult.

The interface controller 174 may also select and display the targetinterface devices (HMIs 70) to which to output information based on thevehicle occupant line of sight detection result obtained by the line ofsight detector 176. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining content of thevehicle occupant line of sight detection of the vehicle M.

In the example of FIG. 15, an in-cabin camera 95 capable of imaging thehead (face) of a vehicle occupant P is provided inside the vehicle M.Note that in the example of FIG. 15, a state is illustrated in which thevehicle occupant P is seated in the seat 88 and gripping the steeringwheel 78, and is driving manually. In the example of FIG. 15, thenavigation device 50 and the display device 82 are illustrated asexamples of the interface devices of the HMI 70.

The line of sight detector 176 detects, for example, the position of theinner canthi and the position of the irises of the vehicle occupantbased on feature information such as the brightness and shapes in theimages captured by the in-cabin camera 95 of the HMI 70. The line ofsight detector 176 detects the line of sight direction from thepositional relationship between the detected corner or the eye and iris.Note that the line of sight detection method is not limited to theexample described above. The line of sight detector 176 also infers theinterface devices that are in the detected line of sight direction ofthe vehicle occupant P.

For example, in cases in which the capture range (image angle) of thein-cabin camera 95 is fixed, the line of sight detector 176 infers theposition in the image of each interface device, such as the navigationdevice 50 and the display device 82, in the captured image. Accordingly,the interface devices being looked at by the vehicle occupant P can beinferred based on the position information of the line of sightdirection target in the image.

For example, in the example of FIG. 15, the line of sight direction ofthe vehicle occupant P is detected from the captured image captured bythe in-cabin camera 95, and the line of sight detector 176 infers thatthe vehicle occupant P is looking at the navigation device 50 when thedetected line of sight direction is the arrow a. When the line of sightdirection is the arrow b, the line of sight detector 176 infers that,for example, a display device 82, such as the instrument panel, is beingviewed. The line of sight detector 176 outputs the information regardingthe interface devices in the inferred line of sight direction to theinterface controller 174.

The interface controller 174 can output information including thecontinuation time of the current mode of automated driving describedabove to the interface devices in the line of sight direction of vehicleoccupant P obtained from the line of sight detector 176. This enablesthe processing load to be reduced compared to when display is made onall interface devices, and enables the vehicle occupant P to be morereliably caused to recognize information related to changes in thedriving mode of automated driving (the predicted continuation time ofthe mode) and the like.

Processing Flow

Explanation follows regarding a flow of processing by the vehiclecontrol system 100 according to the present embodiment. Note that in thefollowing explanation, out of each type of processing in the vehiclecontrol system 100, explanation follows mostly regarding the flow of HMIcontrol processing related to information output accompanying anautomated driving mode change implemented by the HMI controller 170.

First Embodiment

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of HMI controlprocessing. In the example of FIG. 16, the HMI controller 170 acquiresthe mode information from the automated driving controller 120 (stepS100). Next, the predicted continuation time computation section 172determines whether or not a change from the current driving mode to thedriving mode included in the acquired mode information is a change thatrequires information output (step S102). A driving mode requiring outputof information is, for example, a drive mode that lowers the degree ofresponsibility to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle occupant, or adrive mode that increases the operation permission level of theinterface devices. One example thereof corresponds to a change from thesecond mode to the first mode, a change from the TJP released mode tothe TJP mode, or the like; however, there is no limitation thereto.

In cases in which output of information is needed, the predictedcontinuation time computation section 172 acquires traffic information(step S104), and computes the predicted continuation time of the mode(step S106). Note that details of the computation processing for thepredicted continuation time of the mode are described later.

Next, the interface controller 174 outputs the computed predictedcontinuation time of the mode to each of the interface devices of theHMI 70 inside the vehicle M (step S108). Next, the interface controller174 determines whether or not a specific time (for example, from 1minute to 3 minutes) has elapsed since the predicted continuation timeof the mode was output (step S110). In cases in which the specific timehas elapsed, processing returns to step S104, and up-to-date trafficinformation is acquired and the predicted continuation time is computed.The up-to-date predicted continuation time can thereby be displayed tothe vehicle occupant at specific time intervals.

In cases in which the specific time has not elapsed, the interfacecontroller 174 determines whether or not output of the predictedcontinuation time has completed (step S112). In the processing of stepS112, the interface controller 174 ends output of the predictedcontinuation time in cases in which control that switches the drivingmode of the vehicle M has been implemented, and in cases in which an endinstruction from the controlled-vehicle occupant; however, there is nolimitation thereto.

In cases in which output of the predicted continuation time has notfinished, the interface controller 174 returns processing to step S110.In cases in which output of the predicted continuation time hasfinished, the interface controller 174 reaches the end the currentflowchart. In the processing of step S102 described above, the interfacecontroller 174 reaches the end of the current flowchart in cases inwhich the driving mode change does not require output of information.

Computation Processing for Predicted Continuation Time of Mode (StepS106)

Next, explanation follows regarding an example of the computationprocessing for the predicted continuation time of the mode at step S106described above, with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 17 is a flowchartillustrating an example of the computation processing for the predictedcontinuation time of the mode. In the example of FIG. 17, the predictedcontinuation time computation section 172 acquires the distance from thecurrent position of the vehicle M to the position at which thecongestion is predicted to clear (step S200). In the processing of stepS200, for example, on the route to the destination set by the vehicleoccupant using the navigation device 50, a distance is acquired along aroute between the current position of the vehicle M inferred from theGNSS receiver and a position at which the congestion is predicted toclear obtained from traffic information related to the set route. Forexample, if the traffic information includes congestion information of“congestion at junction x”, “congestion at toll booth y”, or the like,the position at which the congestion is predicted to clear is theposition of the junction x or the toll booth y, and this positioninformation can be acquired from, for example, the high precision mapinformation 182.

Next, the predicted continuation time computation section 172 computesthe time until the congestion clears (the first time) from the acquireddistance and the vehicle speed of the vehicle M (step S202). Note thatin cases in which the vehicle M is stopped in congestion or the like atthe current time (cases in which the vehicle speed is 0 km/h), the firsttime described above may be computed using the average vehicle speedover a specific time interval (for example, from approximately 3 minutesto approximately 30 minutes) up to that time. The first time can beacquired by, for example, dividing the distance by the vehicle speed.

Next, the predicted continuation time computation section 172 computesthe time until a vehicle speed at which the driving mode is switchedwill be reached (the second time) from the acceleration from theposition at which the congestion was predicted to clear, based on thevehicle speed at the current position (or the average vehicle speed asdescribed above) (step S204). Note that the acceleration described aboveis an acceleration based on the acceleration amount per preset unit oftime; however, there is no limitation thereto, and the accelerationamount may be set so as to gradually increase. Next, the predictedcontinuation time computation section 172 computes the time obtained byadding together the first time and the second time described above asthe predicted continuation time of the mode (step S206).

Second Embodiment

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of the HMI controlprocessing. In the example of FIG. 18, the processing of steps S300 toS306 is similar to the processing of steps S100 to S106 of the firstembodiment described above, and specific explanation thereof istherefore omitted here.

After computing the predicted continuation time of the mode in theprocessing of step S306, the line of sight detector 176 detects the lineof sight of the vehicle occupant using the image captured from thein-cabin camera 95 or the like (step S308) to identify the interfacedevices of the HMI 70 that are in the detected line of sight direction(step S310).

Next, the interface controller 174 outputs the computed predictedcontinuation time of the mode to the interface devices identified to bein the line of sight direction (step S312). Next, the interfacecontroller 174 determines whether or not the specific time (for example,from 1 minute to 3 minutes) has elapsed since the predicted continuationtime of the mode was output (step S314). In cases in which the specifictime has elapsed, processing returns to step S304, up-to-date trafficinformation is acquired to compute the predicted continuation time andthe line of sight direction of the vehicle occupant at that point intime is detected, and the interface devices in the detected line ofsight direction are identified. This enables an up-to-date predictedcontinuation time to be displayed at specific time intervals, and alsoenables the vehicle occupant to more reliably ascertain the predictedcontinuation time of the mode since the display is on the interfacedevices that are in the vehicle occupant line of sight direction.

When the specific time has not elapsed, the interface controller 174determines whether or not output of the predicted continuation time hasfinished (step S316). In the processing of step S316, the interfacecontroller 174 ends output of the predicted continuation time in casesin which control that switches the driving mode of the vehicle M hasbeen implemented, and in cases in which an end instruction has beenissued from the controlled-vehicle occupant; however, there is nolimitation thereto.

In cases in which output of the predicted continuation time has notfinished, the interface controller 174 returns processing to step S314.In cases in which output of the predicted continuation time hasfinished, the interface controller 174 reaches the end of the currentflowchart. In the processing of step S302 described above, the interfacecontroller 174 reaches the end of the current flowchart in cases inwhich the driving mode change does not require output of information.Note that the HMI control processing illustrated in FIG. 16 and FIG. 18may be executed at the point in time when the mode information isacquired by the automated driving controller 120, or may be implementedat specific time intervals. Moreover, a portion or all of the respectiveembodiments described above may be combined to give an embodiment.

According to the embodiments described above, the vehicle control system100 outputs to the interface devices information indicating a predictedcontinuation time until a timing at which the automated driving modechanges to an automated driving mode with a high degree ofresponsibility to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle, or a timingat which the automated driving mode changes to a low automated drivingmode of operation permission level for the interface devices, andthereby enables the vehicle occupant to be caused to recognize thetiming at which the automated driving switches, and enables the vehicleoccupant to use their time more efficiently. Outputting, until thetiming at which the mode changes, the predicted continuation time to theinterface devices can reduce the unease of the vehicle occupant inautomated driving since the state of the automated driving mode isascertainable.

Although explanation has been given regarding modes for implementing thepresent disclosure with reference to embodiments, the present disclosureis not limited to these embodiments in any way, and various, additionalmodifications and substitutions can be made within a range that does notdepart from the spirit of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle control system comprising: an automateddriving controller configured to automatically control at least one outof acceleration, deceleration, and steering of a vehicle, performautomated driving control in one mode of a plurality of predetermineddifferent modes which requires different levels of automated driving,and transition a first mode to a second mode among the plurality ofpredetermined different modes in accordance with a travel environment ofthe vehicle; and a informing section configured to predict a timing atwhich the mode of the automated driving will transition from the firstmode to the second mode and to inform a driver in the vehicle of thepredicted timing.
 2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,wherein the informing section detects that the level of the automateddriving in the second mode is lower than the level of the automateddriving in the first mode and predicts a period of continuation time toa future timing of the transitioning to the second mode with the lowerlevel of the automated driving.
 3. The vehicle control system accordingto claim 1, wherein the informing section detects that the level of theautomated driving in the second mode is higher than the level of theautomated driving in the first mode, and alerts the drive to a predictedperiod of continuation time from a current time in the first mode to thetiming of the transitioning to the second mode with the higher level. 4.The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the informingsection detects that that the level of the automated driving in thesecond mode is higher than the level of the automated driving in thefirst mode and starts the informing of the predicted timing of thesecond mode at a timing at which the first mode with the lower levelstarts.
 5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein theinforming section detects that that the level of the automated drivingin the second mode is lower than the level of the automated driving inthe first mode and starts the informing of the predicted timing of thesecond mode at a timing of the transitioning to the second mode with thelower level.
 6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, whereinthe informing section detects that the first mode is a congestion travelmode of the automated driving for the vehicle to follow another vehiclein front at a predetermined speed or less and informs the driver of apredicted period of time during which the automated driving in the firstmode continues.
 7. The vehicle control system according to claim 3,wherein the informing section comprises a predicted period ofcontinuation time calculation section that calculates the predictedperiod of continuation time based on a current position of the vehicleand traffic information related to a route to a destination the vehicleis travelling to; and the informing section informs the driver of thepredicted period of continuation time calculated by the predictedcontinuation time calculation section.
 8. The vehicle control systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the predicted continuation timecalculation section calculates the predicted period of continuation timeat specific time intervals.
 9. The vehicle control system according toclaim 7, wherein the predicted continuation time calculation sectioncalculates a distance on a route of travel by the vehicle based on thecurrent position of the vehicle and a position at which the congestionis predicted to end obtained from the traffic information, andcalculates a first period of time based on the calculated distance andthe vehicle speed of the vehicle, calculates a second period of time forthe vehicle to reach a predetermined speed by acceleration of thevehicle at a predetermined acceleration from the position at which thecongestion is predicted to end, and calculates the predicted period ofcontinuation time based on the calculated first period of time and thecalculated second period of time.
 10. The vehicle control systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a sight-direction detectorthat detects a line of sight direction of a driver in the vehicle,wherein the informing section informs the driver of a timing of thetransitioning of the mode with an interface device present in the lineof sight direction of the driver detected by the sight-line detectionsection.
 11. A vehicle control method performed by an onboard computer,the vehicle control method comprising: automatically controlling atleast one out of acceleration, deceleration, and steering of a vehicle;performing automated driving control in one of a plurality ofpredetermined different modes which require different levels ofautomated driving; transitioning a first mode to a second mode among theplurality of predetermined different modes in accordance with a travelenvironment of the vehicle; predicting a timing at which the mode of theautomated driving will transition from the first mode to the secondmode; and informing a driver in the vehicle of the predicted timing. 12.A vehicle control program that causes an onboard computer to execute thefollowing steps: automatically controlling at least one out ofacceleration, deceleration, and steering of a vehicle; performingautomated driving control in one of a plurality of predetermineddifferent modes which require different levels of automated driving;transitioning a first mode to a second mode among the plurality ofpredetermined different modes in accordance with a travel environment ofthe vehicle; predicting a timing at which the mode of the automateddriving will transition from the first mode to the second mode; andinforming a driver in the vehicle of the predicted timing.